Chapter 702

Lin Dongfan being taken away for investigation is tantamount to pulling out the "backbone" of Zhengtong Group; the outside world is filled with voices of pessimism, causing Zhengtong Group's stock price to plummet.

But inside Zhengtong.

A silent counterattack is unfolding precisely according to the chessboard Lin Dongfan had laid out in advance.

Jingcheng.

Inside a concealed private club.

Ye Jiaying had an encrypted laptop placed before her, its screen showing exactly the "gift" Xu Yaqiu had sent over through a special channel.

This "gift" is the core client list of Shengsheng Group, plus detailed information on certain "special partners" closely tied to Li Hengbo and Li Zhenyang.

This list is even more "abundant" than expected.

"Dongfan truly foresees events like a god..."

Ye Jiaying said to Lao Ba sitting opposite, her tone tinged with admiration: "He had long anticipated that Li Hengbo would be driven to desperation, letting us prepare in advance. This list is the first dagger thrust into the heart of Shengsheng Group."

Lao Ba picked up a banana from the fruit plate beside him.

He peeled it and took a big bite.

He mumbled, "President Ye, just give the order—where should we strike first? Cut off his money flow, or stab him in the kidney?"

Lao Ba's coarse action and blunt wording formed a strange contrast with the current tense atmosphere.

Ye Jiaying had long grown accustomed to Lao Ba's style.

She gave a slight smile.

She pointed to several names marked in red on the list: "Dongfan had already instructed, to strike a snake you must hit its vital point. These are Shengsheng Group's biggest and most cash‑flow‑dependent clients, especially 'Pacific Trade' and 'Dingsheng Capital', which together account for nearly thirty percent of Shengsheng Group's annual revenue."

"Immediately notify the people of Baiyue Province's SASAC, have SASAC step in to talk with these two companies, and demand they cease cooperation with Shengsheng Group."

"Understood!"

Lao Ba finished the banana in two or three bites and precisely tossed the peel into a trash can three meters away.

He then confidently said, "Baiyue Province's SASAC, after all, is also our Zhengtong Group's second‑largest shareholder; they have no reason to stand by."

"Not only that..."

Ye Jiaying's eyes sharpened: "Notify the PR department to 'leak' a bit of rumor to financial media in an 'offhand' way—Shengsheng Group, due to involvement in some sensitive investigation, has an unusually tight capital chain, with multiple major projects facing the risk of being left unfinished. Remember, make it 'suspected', 'possible', and leave no evidence."

"Hehe, playing dirty?" Lao Ba grinned, showing his stark white teeth: "I like this! I guarantee the market will first 'hear about it', then 'suspect', and finally 'panic'!"

"At the same time%..."

Ye Jiaying pondered briefly.

Immediately thereafter she issued the most crucial order:

"Launch the 'Predator' plan.

"All our funds distributed across offshore markets and domestic related accounts shall, from this moment, enter secretly, in batches, small amounts, multiple accounts, to absorb Shengsheng Group's panic‑driven sell‑off in the secondary market!"

"The harder the stock price falls, the more aggressively we must absorb!"

"But we must remain absolutely covert, and must not alert the enemy!"

Upon hearing this, Lao Ba's expression turned solemn, and he immediately put away his joking demeanor.

He firmly replied, "President Ye, rest assured—Yu Youwei is a veteran at manipulating the stock market; I'll remind her later, and we should be able to silently devour Shengsheng Group's shares without anyone noticing. By the time that cripple Li Hengbo realizes what's happening, we'll have bought up the bottom of his pot, and regret will be useless."

While Ye Jiaying and Lao Ba were busy laying their plans, Lin Dongfan's side was not entirely without movement.

In a regulation‑compliant interrogation room.

Lin Dongfan was calmly facing the questioning of two investigators.

Contrary to the outside world's image of him harried and distressed, Master Fan today looked in good spirits, even leisurely commenting on the tea provided by the investigation team.

"This Longjing, the pan‑firing was a bit too heavy, weakening the beany aroma." Lin Dongfan gently set down his disposable paper cup, speaking as if chatting with an old friend.

The middle‑aged investigator in charge of the questioning furrowed his brows.

The investigator tapped the photocopied "evidence" on the table: "Lin Dongfan, please be serious! We are now investigating a case of extremely heinous nature! How do you explain these internal documents and recordings provided by the whistleblower Zhao Dezhu?"

Lin Dongfan lifted his eyes, looked at him, then suddenly smiled, a smile with deep meaning: "Explain? What do I need to explain? Explain a so‑called 'email screenshot' that has no original carrier and exists only as a printout? Or explain a recording that has been obviously edited, lacking the full conversational background?"

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze clear and candid: "Comrade, I am a businessman, but first and foremost a law‑abiding citizen. I respect the law and believe in its fairness. My cooperation here is to help you uncover the truth, not to be led by the nose by some people's meticulously fabricated 'evidence'."

He paused, his tone carrying a subtle hint of guidance: "I suggest you, rather than waste time here, go investigate the whistleblower Zhao Dezhu deeply—for example, whether he and his family have recently received large sums of funds of unclear origin entering the country; when exactly his so‑called 'conscience discovery' occurred; and whether it came after he suddenly gained the ability to repay huge gambling debts."

These words, though brief, were like a seed planted in the investigators' hearts.

Having handled cases for many years, they naturally knew what this implied.

Another, somewhat younger investigator could not help but press: "You mean Zhao Dezhu was bribed to give false testimony?"

Lin Dongfan spread his hands, looking innocent: "I never said that. I just think an investigation should be comprehensive, not rely on only one side's account. After all, how many people in this world both wish me misfortune and have the capability and motive to pull off such a big scheme? Seems… not many."

He then lifted again the cup of tea he had criticized, blew lightly on it, and appeared relaxed, as if detached from the affair.

The conversation fell into a brief silence.

The two investigators exchanged a glance, each seeing gravity in the other's eyes.

Lin Dongfan's calmness and the doubts he raised, together with the "above" order to act swiftly and strictly, seemed to produce a subtle deviation.

Meanwhile, the external storm continued.

Li Hengbo watched as Shengsheng Group's stock price got a brief boost from Zhengtong's "bad news" (the market thought a strong competitor had vanished), and he felt elated from secretly manipulating media to keep badmouthing Zhengtong.

He put his arm around Li Shuting and earnestly whispered in her ear:

"Shuting, look, I do what I say! Lin Dongfan is finished! Once I swallow his Zhengtong Group, our Li family's strength will rise another level! By then, I'll see who dares to look down on us!"

Li Shuting leaned into his embrace, her face bearing a gentle smile, yet a fleeting cold glint lurked deep in her eyes.

She enjoyed the vanity and stimulation Li Hengbo brought.

But deep down, she retained a wariness of this overly frenzied and dangerous serpent.

She softly echoed, "Hengbo, you're truly formidable."

Everyone thought Lin Dongfan was already a turtle in a jar, and Zhengtong Group's fate was sealed.

Yet he didn't know that, in the shadows, a blade had already been drawn.

The giant net of the Devouring Rebirth Group was silently tightening.

Every strand was linked to Li Hengbo's lifeline, which he believed was solid; as soon as the moment arrived, it would be a heavenly net and earthly trap—a thunderclap strike!

Lao Ba chewed a new piece of gum, watching the screen as the Rebirth Group's stock price curve appeared seemingly 'stable' but actually roiling with undercurrents, and he gave a hehe laugh:

"You cripple, jump around, jump around as much as you like. The higher you jump, the lower my cost to pick up chips. When I buy up your nest, let's see if you can still laugh!"